


A Whole New World

by dyingDreamer



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Merstuck, all the trolls are merpeople except for like, all togehter, based on the little mermaid, dave is a prince, dirk is gay but has to marry a girl, equius and nepeta bc idc, fun stuff, its gonna be a fun ride, karkat is now mute, rose has a fun backstory, thanks rose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:28:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9565046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyingDreamer/pseuds/dyingDreamer
Summary: Awful title, I know, I'll change it later.Karkat (Ariel) is a mutant merperson, and to avoid being culled, he must accept Rose's (Ursula's) deal to become a human and kiss his yet-to-be-found one true love.Dave is one of the three prince's of Derse, and if Dirk and Roxy could just stop fighting and Dirk could just pull himself together and marry a girl or something (long shot), his life would be so much simpler. Until then, his best bet is to stay away from his warring siblings and maybe wander the beach a little bit.In which the trolls are merfolk, the kids are humans, Rose is an octopus, Vriska is an eel, and Equius and Nepeta are humans because why not. Also Terezi.





	1. Under the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> KARKAT'S A MERPERSON

Karkat looked down at his tail and his heart almost stopped beating. It was starting. The bleeding. The bleeding of  _ color _ . It was finally starting to show. He was becoming an adult.

 

He had known this was coming for a while. In fact, ever since the day he hatched in a dark underwater cavern, he had known this was coming. It was his blood. He had been able to hide it for so long only out of pure luck. But now? Now? It was finally bleeding in. His grey tail was about to turn to his blood color. The same went for his irises. 

 

He wasn’t sure where he could go. His few friends didn’t know about this. Everything felt as though it was a blur. He couldn’t even go out. What if one of the Empress Feferi’s consorts caught him? What if anyone  _ saw _ .

 

Karkat was running out of options. 

 

But he knew what he had to do.

 

Rose was not a mercreature, but was similarly not human. She had the body of a large octopus and the eyes of the horrorterrors that lived in the darker parts of the ocean. Her hair was pale and floated around her head like a halo of sorts, ironic for someone so dark.

 

But she could help him.

 

He untangled himself from the kelp surrounding the rock that he tended to sleep on and saw no other mercreatures near him. Judging the water as clear, he began to swim quickly in the direction of the octopus’ grotto.

 

Once there, he swam in, almost afraid. He had been there multiple times before, summoned by her magnificent eel creature that Karkat also knew could morph into something more human but also marine. Rose would summon him in and ask him a few questions. Karkat had never seen Rose outside of her grotto. She let her eel, Vriska, do that for her.

 

Rose always wanted to know about Karkat’s friend, Kanaya, a beautiful mermaid who had already bleed jade green into her tail. Rose would ask threatening, almost invasive, questions about her. 

 

Karkat had tried telling Kanaya about his visits to the octopus, but she laughed him off, not believing in some half-human half-octopus creature. Karkat and her were not even particularly close friends anyway, his blood color always kept him from getting to close to anyone.

 

Karkat hesitantly swam in. He had never really come to Rose out of his own accord.

 

Rose was towering. Her eight tentacles almost splayed across everything in her and were constantly moving. Her upper body was held upright, and her fingers were delicately turning the pages of a black leather bound book. Karkat didn’t even want to know how it had survived so long in the ocean. Karkat had come across many books underwater, but most had either decomposed beyond recognition or were supremely boring. He loved the romance and adventure novels but never had found one completely intact, instead having to stop reading at some crucial moment.

 

Rose looked up. “I knew you would come.” The eel came close to Karkat and circled, it’s eye with the eight pupils scanning him scrutinizingly. 

 

Rose continued. “I assume, you are wanting something?” She looked at him. “Your tail. The change that you spoke of? It’s happening?” She chuckled. Karkat didn’t find it that funny.

 

“Yes.” Karkat said.

 

Rose laughed some more. “Poor child. You don’t fit in here, right?” 

 

Karkat looked around at the dark cave walls. The feeling of crushed souls was powdered all over. 

 

Rose furthered, “and perhaps.” She smiled with a flourish, sharp teeth peeking out. “You would like a change?”

 

Karkat nearly nodded, but was careful to not show any signs towards the octopus.

 

Rose smiled. “Here’s the deal. I’ll make you a potion that will turn you into a human for two weeks. Three weeks. Now you hear this. You’ve got to get some human to fall in love with you. That is, kiss you. Not just any kiss. The kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third week, you remain human  permanently. But if he doesn't… you turn back into a merman and you belong to me. Have we got a deal?”

 

Karkat whispered. “If I become human, I’ll never be with my people, my friends again.”

 

“That’s right.” Rose laughed. “But you’ll be with your one true love. You’re a romantic. I know you’re a romantic. Doesn’t that sound perfectly appealing? Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it. Oh! And there is one thing we haven’t discussed. The subject of payment. You can’t get something for nothing. I’m just asking for a token really, a trifle. You won’t miss it. What I want from you is your voice.”

 

Karkat was confused. “My voice? But without my voice how will I get…”

 

Rose smiled larger. “Karkat, let’s be honest. Is anyone really going to miss your  _ voice _ ?”   
  


Karkat knew his voice. Scratchy, whiny, and honestly, incessant. 

 

Rose began to move around the cave and began to create a potion. “Now say something,” she demanded.

 

Karkat began to speak, angrily, with a good deal of swearing. Until, the voice began to come from a small shell instead, and was trapped. The eel darted forward and snagged the shell and gave it to Rose, who tied it around her neck. Karkat reached for his throat and began to choke on the lack of sound before he felt his body start to  _ change _ .

 

He woke up on a beach some time later.


	2. Wish I Could Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -flashback time-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dirk and roxy are gonna be fighting  
> karkat is a boat stalker  
> basically the little mermaid rn except instead of prince eric's dog its terezi

_ Months ago _

 

Karkat sunk down into the water and then accelerated sharply up to the surface where he was propelled maybe two feet above the surface. He reached out but just missed the rungs on the side of the huge ship.    
  


He fell back below the water without a sound and swam alongside the ship again to catch up as it sailed. He could hear the voices above the water, laughing. Music was playing. This ship wasn't like any of the ones he had seen before. It was far bigger, louder, and even faster on this almost windless night.   
  


Karkat tried again, sinking down then swimming quickly to the surface. This time as he jumped out he managed to land one hand on the rung closest to water. The rest of his body jerked down and he cursed silently as pain ran through him. He twisted himself to get some momentum then swung his body to get his second hand on the rung.    
  


Now with two hands gripping the rung firmly but with the rest of his body and tail awkwardly suspended half in the water, he tapped into the strength being half aquatic animal gave him and began to climb the ladder with two hands.    
  


A hard climb later and he could perch on one of the rungs with his head just above the barrier that kept the party goers from falling off the side of the ship. He could easily duck down if anyone came too close which he was forced to do when an evidently blind young woman began to sniff around him and hit things with her cane.    
  


Once he was sure she had left he looked back up and was surprised to see he had underestimated the grandeur of the ship. Gold everywhere and lights and music.   
  


Near the top, he could make out the outlines of three thrones, and three figures in sync stepping out of them and gracefully descending towards the main deck while the other party goers went silent and began to drop into low bows.   
  


The one woman in the group smiled and the tallest man regarded the whole thing with an almost sullen glare. He motioned for the musicians to keep playing. Once they started up again he stiffly began to walk to where Karkat was hidden. Karkat ducked down. He heard footsteps follow behind quickly.   
  


"Dirk! Dirk, wait," The second set of footsteps called out.   
  


The sullen voice, apparently named Dirk, responded, "leave me alone Rox."

 

The woman, Rox, sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would take it that way.” She spoke softer. “I just want what's best for you.”

 

“You know, you can’t just fit me into some mold you have all planned out. I… I can’t just do it. If you care so much, how about you go marry some guy and make some heirs to the throne.”

 

Soft and low, Rox’s voice came. “You know that can’t happen.”

 

Dirk shrugged. “I’m not like you.”

 

“You… you just can’t be it!”

 

“Say it then. Roxy, say what you really mean then.”

 

‘Roxy’ (not Rox, Karkat mentally noted, although he recognized this little bit of trivial would most likely never become important) sounded exasperated. “You know what I mean. You have to stop mooning over your man servant. Someday, you’re going to have to meet a nice girl and settle down.” She sounded almost threatening. “And if you can’t find one, don’t you worry, because I’m sure I could locate a good many who would simply love to have a dinner at the palace.”

 

Dirk let out a noncommittal noise.

 

Roxy continued. “You think, if I had the choice, I would do what you’re doing? You think I don’t wish I was you? Just because I’m a girl doesn’t change that I’m older than you. You being the firstborn son doesn’t change that you weren't the firstborn child. If I was a boy…” she trailed off.

 

Karkat decided it was safe to look back up and was surprised to see the two figures were actually quite tall. The boy, Dirk, although slim, looked like he was ready to take down anyone on the ship. The girl, Roxy, had hair that was almost  _ pink _ and she looked quite aggressive as well. Where was the third human?

 

The two humans continued to stare at each other. 

 

Dirk eventually sighed and ran his hand through his unruly hair. “Where’s Dave?”

 

Roxy looked around, almost seeming confused. “I’m not sure.”

 

“What about him.”

 

“What about him?”

 

“Can we… can we table this discussion for a little bit. The way it is right now, us three, sharing the throne. We don’t need to break it up yet. Just becuase mom and dad are dead doesn’t mean we have to replace them so soon.”

 

“Dirk, it’s been over a decade.”

 

“Just because they’re dead doesn’t mean we have to replace them right now. What we have is working, alright? The peasants, all of them, they probably don’t know anything about this, or even our ages, or anything, okay? Can we just, table this discussion.”

 

Roxy sighed. “You can have one more month. But at least pretend to enjoy yourself while remembering we will talk again. Try to meet someone new. It isn’t fitting for you to be so close with a servant.”

 

“Yeah.” Dirk also sighed. “Of course.”

 

Karkat watched the two walk away and Dirk put on a manufactured smile as he looked over his subjects.

 

Roxy clapped her hands for attention. “Let’s get this party started!” She squealed. Dirk looked uncomfortable.

 

Roxy handed him a mask resembling the face of a crow, except in purple. She herself unbuttoned what turned out to be an overdress and revealed a more scantily clad under dress it.

 

[ http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyxgfqUmng1qij4gjo1_1280.png ](http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyxgfqUmng1qij4gjo1_1280.png)

 

The musicians continued to play and the lower than-royal-but-still-royal class clustered around where Roxy stood. Karkat pulled himself higher on the railing to see. They were all so imbibed, it was highly unlikely they would notice him. 

 

Roxy smiled. “It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this celebration of my brother’s, the heir of Derse’s, twenty-fifth birthday. This is the year we have all been waiting for, the year he has finally come of age to inherit the throne. For that, I have comissioned.” She stopped. “Where is Dave.”

 

The crowd looked at each other. Then they looked back. Near the far end of the crowd a boy, dressed flashily in red was milling around with a drink in hand.

 

“Sup.” He said.

 

Roxy’s hands went on her hips. She looked like a stern mother who didn’t know how to express her anger. Dirk went and put a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Come on up here, little bro.” Dirk said.

 

Dave nodded a saccharine smile and waved a few fingers at the party goers before taking his place on the upper deck.

 

“Where was I.” Roxy said, a little more forced. “It is my great pleasure to introduce to you my gift to our one and future king!”

 

A manservant standing near a large covered-up thing gave a thumbs up when Roxy pointed at him.

 

Dirk protested. “Wait, Jake, no.” He raised his voice and reached out, almost as if to stop him. “Jake, no, please, don’t.”   
  


Jake pulled the cover off of an impressive statue. It was clearly Dirk, but was also, well, glorified. The real Dirk, compared to the statue, looked wimpy and insignificant.

 

The brother named Dave leaned into the mic and addressed the crowd. “While my brother tries to deal with his insecurity over not being a big and strong grown man, I would like to welcome my closest friend and advisor, the Legislacerator herself, Terezi Pyrope!”

 

Roxy put her head in her hands. “That’s not a real title.”

 

The blind girl who had smelled him earlier took the stage and curtsied. Roxy buried her hand further. Dirk turned to her and Karkat could see his eyes narrow and his mouth open, ready to deliver a tirade. 

 

Dave raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. “Well.” He said, learning into the microphone. “Here they go. Let’s end on this note. Yada yada yada, it’s great that Dirk’s an adult and me and Rox don’t have to pretend we know what we’re doing any longer. With that, let’s get the festivities started.”

 

As he said that, almost like whatever gods above had decided they had enough of the false politeness and the uncomfortable party, a bolt of lighting struck down from the already cloudy sky and struck a box near the helm of the ship. It exploded and caught the sails on fire. The guests screamed. Karkat looked around with alarm. On the dark horizon, he could almost see and could definitely hear the sounds of a storm rolling in.

 

The princes and princesses looked quite alarmed. Karkat figured he would probably be as well if he couldn’t swim.

 

“Everyone off the ship !” Dirk yelled.

 

Servants began to pour out from the cabins like mice and dropped lifeboats into the water. Karkat ducked out of view then poked his head back up to watch what was going on. To no one’s surprise, the royalty were being hustled off first, and everyone’s finery was being ruined. Karkat leaned off and dove cleanly into the water and swam under the ship, surfacing on the other side where the lifeboats were clustered. He could vaguely see the lights of the mainland on the horizon. 

 

The youngest royal family member screamed. “Terezi!” Karkat saw the other two heirs try and hold him back and then Karkat had to dodge himself as the boy dove into the water and started lunging for the ship.

 

“Dave?” Yelled a lost voice on the ship. Dave swam faster through the waves before he latched onto the side of the ship as it rocked down and began to climb up. Karkat swam closer and watched out of both trepidation and interest. 

 

Roxy yelled. “Dave!”

 

Now on board, Dave pushed through burning sails and fallen pieces of the mast and grabbed onto the blind woman. He rushed her to the side of the ship where the lifeboat had now sailed, trying desperately to protect one of the kingdom’s princes. He almost threw the woman off the boat, but the inhabitants of the lifeboat dragged her aboard. Dave looked about to jump, when another bolt hit and the ship was torn in half.

 

The prince went under and the lifeboat was pulling away fast.

 

Karkat gasped and dove under the water. Lower and lower he swam until he caught sight of the drowning prince. Karkat put his arms under the boy’s armpits and pulled hard, tail kicking to the surface. Up top, Karkat began to swim hard to the shore.

 

After what seemed like forever of swimming Karkat reached the shore and dropped the groggy prince. For good measure, Karkat slapped his face a few times. 

 

“Can’t you even swim?” Karkat said, filled with disgust, once the boy’s eyes opened, before he slipped back into the water and began to swim to his rock.

 

It was only far later when he realized the boy’s eyes were also red.


End file.
